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Classiq vs Scale AI

Side-by-side on valuation, funding, investors, founders & more

Comparison updated: April 2026

Scale AI is valued at $29B — more than 3x Classiq's N/A.

Head-to-Head Verdict

Scale AI leads on 4 of 4 metrics

Classiq

0 wins

-Funding
-Awaira Score
-Team Size
-Experience

Scale AI

4 wins

+Funding
+Awaira Score
+Team Size
+Experience

Key Numbers

Valuation
N/A
$29B
Total Funding
$63M
$15.9B
Awaira Score
48/100
84/100
Employees
1-50
1,000
Founded
2020
2016
Stage
Series C
Series G
ClassiqScale AI
Classiq logo
Classiq

🇮🇱 Israel · Nir Minerbi

Series CAI InfrastructureEst. 2020

Valuation

N/A

Total Funding

$63M

Awaira Score48/100

1-50 employees

Full Classiq Profile →
Winner
Scale AI logo
Scale AI

🇺🇸 United States · Alexandr Wang

Series GAI InfrastructureEst. 2016

Valuation

$29B

Total Funding

$15.9B

Awaira Score84/100

1,000 employees

Full Scale AI Profile →
Market Context

As AI Infrastructure players, Classiq and Scale AI target overlapping customers despite operating from different countries. The stage gap — Classiq at Series C vs Scale AI at Series G — shapes how each company allocates capital and talent.

🔬

Analyst Summary

Built from real data · Updated April 2026

Companies

Classiq and Scale AI both operate in AI Infrastructure, though their strategies diverge significantly. Classiq develops quantum computing software that automates the synthesis of quantum circuits from high-level algorithmic descriptions, allowing quantum algorithm developers to specify what computation should be performed without manually designing the low-level quantum gate sequences required to implement it. Scale AI is a data infrastructure company founded in 2016 that specializes in data labeling and annotation services for artificial intelligence model development.

Funding & Valuation

Scale AI carries a disclosed valuation of $29B, while Classiq remains privately valued. With $15.9B raised, Scale AI has attracted substantially more capital than Classiq ($63M).

Growth Stage

The founding gap is narrow: Scale AI in 2016 versus Classiq in 2020. Stage-wise, Classiq is classified as Series C and Scale AI as Series G, reflecting divergent fundraising histories. Headcount tells a story too: Classiq has 1-50 employees and Scale AI has 1,000.

Geography & Outlook

Based in 🇮🇱 Israel and 🇺🇸 United States respectively, Classiq and Scale AI tap into different talent markets and regulatory environments. On Awaira's 0-100 scale, Scale AI leads decisively at 84 compared to Classiq's 48. Classiq, led by Nir Minerbi, and Scale AI, led by Alexandr Wang, each bring distinct leadership visions to the AI sector.

Funding Velocity

Classiq

Total Rounds4
Avg. Round Size$15.8M
Funding Span4 yrs

Scale AI

Total Rounds5
Avg. Round Size$43.1M
Funding Span5 yrs

Funding History

Classiq has completed 4 funding rounds, while Scale AI has gone through 5. Classiq's most recent round was a Series C of $34.7M, compared to Scale AI's Series D ($100M). Classiq is at Series C while Scale AI is at Series G — different points in their growth trajectory.

Team & Scale

Scale AI has the bigger team at roughly 1,000 people — 1000x the size of Classiq's 1-50. Scale AI has a 4-year head start, founded in 2016 vs Classiq's 2020. Geographically, they're in different markets — Classiq operates out of Israel and Scale AI from United States.

Metrics Comparison

MetricClassiqScale AI
💰Valuation
N/A
$29B
📈Total Funding
$63M
$15.9BWINS
📅Founded
2020WINS
2016
🚀Stage
Series C
Series G
👥Employees
1-50
1,000
🌍Country
Israel
United States
🏷️Category
AI Infrastructure
AI Infrastructure
Awaira Score
48
84WINS

Key Differences

📈

Funding gap: Scale AI has raised $15.8B more ($15.9B vs $63M)

📅

Market experience: Scale AI has 4 years more (founded 2016 vs 2020)

🚀

Growth stage: Classiq is at Series C vs Scale AI at Series G

👥

Team size: Classiq has 1-50 employees vs Scale AI's 1,000

🌍

Market base: 🇮🇱 Classiq (Israel) vs 🇺🇸 Scale AI (United States)

⚔️

Direct competitors: Both operate in the AI Infrastructure market segment

Awaira Score: Scale AI scores 84/100 vs Classiq's 48/100

Which Should You Choose?

Use these signals to make the right call

Classiq logo

Choose Classiq if…

  • Israel-based for regional compliance or proximity
  • Classiq develops quantum computing software that automates the synthesis of quantum circuits from high-level algorithmic descriptions, allowing quantum algorithm developers to specify what computation should be performed without manually designing the low-level quantum gate sequences required to implement it
Scale AI logo

Choose Scale AI if…

Top Pick
  • Higher Awaira Score — 84/100 vs 48/100
  • More established by valuation ($29B)
  • Stronger investor backing — raised $15.9B
  • More market experience — founded in 2016
  • United States-based for regional compliance or proximity
  • Scale AI is a data infrastructure company founded in 2016 that specializes in data labeling and annotation services for artificial intelligence model development

Funding History

Classiq raised $63M across 4 rounds. Scale AI raised $15.9B across 5 rounds.

Classiq

Series C

Jun 2024

$34.7M

Series B

Feb 2023

$17.6M

Series A

Oct 2021

$7.6M

Seed

Jun 2020

$3.2M

Scale AI

Series D

Jan 2021

Lead: Dragoneer Investment Group

$100M

Series C

Jan 2019

Lead: Dragoneer Investment Group

$50M

Series B

Jan 2018

$18M

Series A

Jan 2017

Lead: Accel

$4.5M

Seed

Jan 2016

Investor Comparison

No shared investors detected between these two companies.

Unique to Scale AI

Dragoneer Investment GroupAccelSpark Capital

Users Also Compare

FAQ — Classiq vs Scale AI

Is Classiq bigger than Scale AI?
Scale AI has a disclosed valuation of $29B, while Classiq's valuation is not publicly available, making a direct size comparison difficult. Scale AI employs 1,000 people.
Which company raised more funding — Classiq or Scale AI?
Scale AI has raised more in total funding at $15.9B, compared to Classiq's $63M — a gap of $15.8B. Combined, the two companies have completed 9 known funding rounds.
Which company has a higher Awaira Score?
Scale AI leads with an Awaira Score of 84/100, while Classiq sits at 48/100. That 36-point gap reflects real differences in funding, scale, and traction — it's not a vanity metric.
Who founded Classiq vs Scale AI?
Classiq was founded by Nir Minerbi in 2020. Scale AI was founded by Alexandr Wang in 2016. Visit each company's profile on Awaira for a full founder biography.
What does Classiq do vs Scale AI?
Classiq: Classiq develops quantum computing software that automates the synthesis of quantum circuits from high-level algorithmic descriptions, allowing quantum algorithm developers to specify what computation should be performed without manually designing the low-level quantum gate sequences required to implement it. The Tel Aviv company platform generates optimised quantum circuits for specific hardware backends including IBM, Google, and IonQ quantum processors.\n\nThe company raised approximately $63 million in venture funding including a Series C from investors including HPE, NTT, and HSBC. Classiq targets financial services, pharmaceuticals, and logistics companies investigating quantum computing applications for optimisation, simulation, and machine learning, providing software tools that accelerate quantum algorithm development without requiring deep quantum physics expertise from application developers. The company has partnerships with IBM Quantum and NVIDIA cuQuantum for hybrid classical-quantum workflows.\n\nClassiq competes in the quantum software market alongside Qiskit (IBM), Cirq (Google), and commercial quantum software platforms including 1QBit and QC Ware. The company occupies the abstraction layer between algorithm description and hardware implementation, a segment that becomes increasingly valuable as quantum hardware matures and the bottleneck shifts from physical qubit availability to algorithm development productivity. The long timelines to commercial quantum advantage create both extended runway requirements and extended opportunity windows for quantum software infrastructure companies positioned ahead of hardware maturity. Scale AI: Scale AI is a data infrastructure company founded in 2016 that specializes in data labeling and annotation services for artificial intelligence model development. The company provides managed workforce solutions and software platforms that enable organizations to prepare high-quality training data at scale. Scale AI's core offerings include data labeling, model evaluation, data generation, and managed workforce services across computer vision, natural language processing, and other AI domains. The company serves enterprise customers across automotive, defense, technology, and other sectors requiring large-scale data annotation for machine learning applications. Notable use cases include autonomous vehicle development, where precise labeled data is critical for training perception systems. Scale AI operates a hybrid model combining software automation with human-in-the-loop annotation capabilities. With a Series F valuation of $13.8 billion and total funding of $1.6 billion, Scale AI represents one of the highest-valued data infrastructure companies in the AI stack. The company competes in the data labeling market alongside firms like Labelbox, Snorkel AI, and various in-house solutions deployed by large technology companies. Its growth trajectory reflects increasing enterprise demand for quality training data as AI model development accelerates. Scale AI's positioning emphasizes enterprise-grade reliability, security, and quality assurance in data preparation workflows. Scale AI has achieved unicorn valuation by solving the critical bottleneck of high-quality labeled data production at enterprise scale.
Which company was founded first?
Scale AI got there first, launching in 2016 — that's 4 years of extra runway. Classiq didn't arrive until 2020. In AI, that kind of head start means more training data, deeper customer relationships, and a bigger talent moat.
Which company has more employees?
Classiq has about 1-50 employees; Scale AI has about 1,000. A bigger team usually means more revenue or heavier VC backing, but in AI, small teams can build at massive scale.
Are Classiq and Scale AI competitors?
Yes — they're direct rivals. Both Classiq and Scale AI compete in AI Infrastructure, targeting many of the same buyers. If you're evaluating one, you should be looking at the other.

Bottom Line

Scale AI has a clear lead here — Awaira Score of 84 vs Classiq's 48. The difference comes down to funding depth and strategic focus.

Who Should You Watch?

Scale AI is in the stronger position — better score and deeper pockets. But Classiq has room to surprise, especially if they land a marquee investor. Follow both profiles on Awaira to track funding rounds, team changes, and score updates.

Deep Dive